Those who have had coronavirus will only be able to use their recovery certificate for SafePass purposes for 90 days as of Monday, whereas it was previously valid for 180 days.

The move follows a decision taken by the Council of Ministers on December 21.

The reduction of validity period applies to all current holders of the certificate, regardless of when it was issued.

Recovery certificates will, however, continue to be valid for up to 180 days from the date of the first positive laboratory test for travel purposes, as this is the maximum period allowed by relevant EU regulation.

The ministry said that for travel purposes, the public is advised to consult the Re-open EU website (reopen.europa.eu) or contact the relevant national authorities for their destination, as validity periods may be shorter for some countries.

Recovery certificates will continue to be issued through the www.eudcc.gov.cy platform and will be valid domestically for 90 days from the date of the first positive laboratory result.